Monroe the Philosopher

So I guess I didn't post again yesterday like I said I would. Sorry! Making up for it today.
I would like to dedicate today's post to my pet spotted salamander, Monroe. Back in March, when I was still working at Wal-Mart, Andrea, my friend and coworker at the Customer Service desk, told me about an encounter she had in her cellar. She was doing laundry when she noticed something glossy and black with yellow spots on the floor next to her washing machine. She thought it was some kind of plastic or rubber toy, but when she picked it up, it moved. It was a spotted salamander, and she had no idea how to keep it alive, so she asked me if I wanted it. Of course I did! I took him home, researched his species on the internet, and discovered lots of nifty things about my new pet, Monroe. Spotted salamanders are the only kind of salamander native to Maine. They eat insects and worms (I feed him bait worms that I keep in the fridge). They can live to be 20 years old (yes, twenty!). They grow to between 5 and 9 inches at maturity, depending on their diet (Monroe is currently 7 and 1/2 inches long, he's grown about an inch since I got him). I keep him in a 10-gallon aquarium with moist soil, a couple of containers for him to hide in, and a Tupperware container with about two inches of water and a rock to make a little pond. He is still most of the day, but he is lightning fast when catching prey, and likes to swing it about like a dog with a chew toy. Although he doesn't really have teeth, his nip can be sharp, so I try to keep my fingers away from his line of vision. I like to think he's a philosopher, contemplating life's eternal questions, taking a dip in his pond between musings. Some people may think he's boring, but I think he's a really cool pet! For more information about spotted salamanders, visit here.